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Elven Magic
While human sorcerers pull magical energies from the Verto Magica, the Elves have other sources of power available to draw upon. According to the mythology of the Elves, they once inhabited the Empyrean, a perfect realm that is found on plane above the Mortal Realm. The Elves were sorely grieved to have lost their Empyrean abode, but as a result of her repentance and sacrifice, Latariana brought into existence the stars in the night sky, the first of which, according to Elven tradition, provides a tiny but open window into the Empyrean. A steady stream of Empyrean energy filters through this window, and this flow helps to nourish the mortal realms. The Elves are uniquely attuned to such energies, which their priests can access and work into miraculous feats by following the traditions of the Path to the Stars. The Empyrean Arts There are four known spheres of the Empyrean: light, air, dreams, and life. All four spheres are believed to have been utilized by the Yrthwrights in the creation of Mennara. In channeling the energies of the Empyrean, an Elven priest may draw from a single sphere to work their magic, or devise a more complicated ritual to pull from two or more spheres. According to Elven myths, Emorial and Latariana were once granted dominion over light and air. Whether or not this is true, Elven priests find it much easier to access energies from these two spheres compared with those of life and dreams. Of Light and Air Before their Fall, the original pair of Elves embodied light and air, and through Latariana’s Door their descendants still have access to these spheres. Learning spells that affect light and air come very easily to the Elves, and even Elves who do not devote themselves completely to the Elven priesthood are able to create or extinguish small globes of light or conjure up a faint breeze. Subtle differences exist between spells that manipulate existing light or air in the Firma Dracem and those that summon light or air from the Empyrean itself. Illuminating a darkened corner requires only that the Elf redirect light from one part of a room to another—a relatively minor fear. By contrast, casting a spell to conjure daylight in an otherwise pitch-black cavern would mean summoning light directly from the Empyrean, requiring much more strength of will and concentration. Of Life and Dreams The stuff of life and dreams were greatly coveted by the Elves in the time before their Fall. Latariana's desire for power over those two spheres of the Empyrean drove her husband to commit his great folly, ironically imprisoning their people in a world where light, air, life, and dreams could all take shape. Although they do not have the same connection to life and dreams as they did their previous domains, Elves who join the priesthood of the Starlight Council are taught the mysteries of the remaining two spheres. With study and practice, their healers may tap into powerful life magic to perform feats of mending the likes of which is rarely seen outside the boughs of the Aymhelin. Flesh wounds knit closed effortlessly and painlessly, and broken bones come together once more as a solid whole. Illnesses of body and mind can be assuaged, and unsettled emotions may be calmed, all fear and anger taken away. The dreamers spend most of their time in slumber, using their dreams as a portal to the Aenlong. There, they may walk between worlds and catch glimpses of that which was, is, and may be. Through the Aenlong as a bridge, they may also cross to the far corners of Mennara itself to touch the minds of other dreamers and discover their hopes, fears, and desires. Armed with this knowledge, the Elves can work to prevent conflicts before they begin, or know the precise moment to strike. Once they have tasted of the dream, however, few dreamers can bring themselves to return to the waking world for long. Most spend their eternal lives slumbering under the glimmering white ceilings of the Temple to the Stars. Since the War of the Shadow Tear, parts of the sphere of dreams became tainted with Ynfernael energies, and on occasion a dreamer will succumb to the nightmare, their minds disquieted by the sights they see there. The Elven high priestesses believe it is connected with the rifts between the Aenlong, the Ynfernael, and Mennara that were opened by Malcorne and his tribesmen. The Elves are not the only people who have learned to walk in dreams, however. Long ago, the shamans of the Loth Caara were known for the realm of T’mara T’rusheen, or "walking in-between," which they may have learned from the Elves who mingled with them. The tribal shamans submitted themselves to a trance during the full moon in order to foresee the movement of prey animals to help the hunt or to catch glimpses of disasters that would come to pass, so that the tribe could avoid the disaster. It is believed that this in-between realm was the very same as that walked by the Elves in their dreams. Now, the nightseers of the Uthuk tribes stalk this realm with their own corrupted version of the T'mara T'rusheen, using the Aenlong as a place to cavort with demons before they can be summoned from the Ynfernael into this world. The Spheres Combined A human sorcerer wishing to create a gust of wind would simply summon forth energy from the Verto Magica and use it to produce his spell, yet for an Elven wizard to do the same, they would need to summon forth a degree of air, and then a small degree of life in order to propel the gust. A more complex spell, equivalent in effect to a fireball created by a human sorcerer, would require input from three spheres. Air to fuel the spell, light to imbue it with fire, and life to propel the missile. The more complex the spell, the more spheres must be involved in its creation and the finer the balance between the different energies derived from the spheres needs to be. Certain magical processes that true sorcerers can undertake are virtually impossible to produce using Empyrean magic, especially those spells which directly influence water and stone. For a sorcerer to create a landslide or flood is a fairly simple and direct magical working. Elven priests are only able to accomplish such feats through indirect means, such as summoning gusts of air to blow down rocks. Illusionary magic does come easy to Elven wizards. Any vision can be conjured from the sphere of dreams. By combining such visions with energies from the spheres of light and life such illusions can even become animated and, in extreme cases, capable of interacting with the real world. The Tears of Latariana According to the Elven songs, when Latariana was banished for her part in the fall of the Elves, she cried for her fate and her people. These tears crystallized on the hands of her consort Emorial, who in turn passed them down to the leaders of each of the eleven Elven tribes. The Tears, at least in their original form, were crystallized Empyrean energy. It is believed they are artifacts that anticipated the form and function of the Stars of Timmorran in many ways. Someone in possession of a Tear of Latariana can make use of it in much the same way that someone in possession of a Star of Timmorran can use the shard. They are great batteries of Empyrean energy that could conceivably provide the energy for hugely powerful spells. However, being only eleven in number, the Tears of Latariana are even rarer than those few Stars of Timmorran that remain in the world, unbound by the runecraft of the dragons. Each one is in the possession of the leader of a tribe, and as both potent magical artifacts and revered badges of office they are kept carefully guarded. On occasion, an Elven lord might allow a Tear of Latariana to be used in some great magical working to benefit the whole of Mennara, but never would they trust its use to someone from outside the tribes. Since the time of their creation, one of the tears has been lost. The Shadow Tear used to be carried by Malcorne, Lord of the Daewyl Tribe. He is said to have infused the tear with energies from the Ynfernael, and then used it to open up rents between the Mortal Realms and the Ynfernael plane. The Shadow Tear went missing during the events of the Shadow War, and if it remains unbroken then a powerful artifact combining both Empyrean and Ynfernael magic is waiting for someone to find it. The Path to the Stars Latariana opened a path by which her descendents could atone for her and Emorial's ancient crime. The very first priests and priestesses were those who devoted themselves to finding and ascending Latariana's Stair through meditation, self-reflection, and prayer. In the intervening millennia, however, the priesthood has become divided as to the role of the Elves in greater Mennara and whether involvement or seclusion is the answer. Much of the Elven priesthood are Eolam, as the priesthood is generally very old and made up of Elves who never ventured out of the city of Lithelin. The spires of the Temple to the Stars are nearly as tall as those of the Caelcira, the silver palace, and the high priestesses are common visitors to the throne in the hopes of swaying the Lord and his consort to their causes. The Darnati Order Like the sorrowful Emorial before them, the Darnati Warriors believe they can ascend Latariana’s Stair only if they vanquish the darkness that plunged their people into this world. To that end, warriors adopt apprentices into their mysterious temples, away from the traditional teachings of the Daughters of the Empyrean. There, the wouldbe swordsmen learn the discipline, mysteries, and ritual that form the basis of the dance. All of this is done wordlessly, with a complex language of hand gestures and signs, for the fully fledged warriors of the Darnati have sworn a vow of silence save for their sacred prayers and scriptures, which they use as a rallying cry in battle or whisper to their swords as part of their sacred dance. Elven Sorcery Although the Elves tend to prefer their own more considered approach to working magic, calling upon the pure energy of the Empyrean, some Elves study the arcane arts and channel the energy of the Turning the same way that wizards do. Harnessing the raw power of nature, Latari storm sorceresses are as honored among their soldiers as they are feared among their enemies. When the children of the Latari accepted stewardship of the majestic Aymhelin, they learned to use their gifts to tap into the power of weather, protecting fragile plant life or bringing rain to feed drying streams. Adopting the mantle of the forest’s protectors, they learned to usher rain and gale to punish any who trespassed on sacred land. With the force of a mighty storm, these sorceresses can call forth bolts of lighting, assailing enemies at nearly impossible distances and electrocuting warriors inside their own metal armor. At the same time, the sorceresses can shield their allies from enemy arrow fire with torrents of wind and rain. Wealdcallers The ancient songs of the Latari comforted them when they first fell to Mennara, but they did not expect their lays to awaken the very forest itself. The voices of the Elves stirred some unknown joy in the mysterious hearts of the young forest, giving movement to the roots and boughs and trunks of the wood. The very first Finwalyn, or forest children, were awakened, and the Elves learned that they had perhaps been granted some sway over the sphere of life after all. These young saplings would grow taller and stronger, eventually becoming the mighty forest guardians that are sometimes seen marching to war alongside the Latari. Since then, the Wealdcallers have learned to sing and speak to the plants and trees of the forest and bid them grow in specific directions, allowing the Elves to build their cities in relative harmony with the natural landscape. In rare occasions, the Elves will call up the very forest floor to aid them in their fight against the enemy, unleashing heather and thorn and vine and branch against those who would dare trespass in their emerald haven. In the aftermath of such battles, the powers of the Wealdcallers have also allowed the Elves to heal parts of the Aymhelin where fire or corruption have taken hold, returning the plant life their to its original verdant state. To outsiders, the magic of the Wealdcallers is reminiscent of both spiritspeaking and the bardic magic of certain music. When asked about the similarities, and the true source of their power, the Elves answer with only a mysterious, plaintive melody. References # Realms of Terrinoth Category:Arcane Arts